Corporeality in Julian Barnes‘s Book « The Limon Table»
Abstract
The author of the article presents corporeality as one of key categories in modern humanity/pls. Attention applies on the opinion, that the study of corporeality supposes the analysis not only the body, its structure, physical capabilities, external and internal characteristics, but mainly the perception of the body. It means that investigation of personage’s conception of body, his attitude (emotions) to the aroma of body, sounds that is produced by a body is the way to understand this personage, his attitude toward the world, to itself, degree of prosperity of this personage. In the spotlight of author of the article is a book of the well-known English writer Julian Barnes «The Lemon Table», which was translated into the Russian
language in 2013. In all stories that are plugged in this book Julian Barnes touches on the problem of corporeality. It can be hair-do, meal, pronouncing by the man of words (his articulation), etc. Two stories – «Flash» and «Vigilance» are studied in detail. In each of them the analysis of corporeality helps to understand reason of person age’s lack of well-being. Their troubles are related to the break of communication. Both are deprived of the opportunity to be together with the person to whom they fall in love. First story is based on real history: last love of Russian writer I. S. Turgenev to actress M. Savina, who opted for her benefit night role in his play «A Month in the Country». The break of communication bears in the hero of the story a desire to replace a beloved woman with symbol ‒ plaster cast of her hand. This image (the hand) have many meanings in culture and in and, in particular, in denotation of love relations. In the story it is the symbol of Platonic love of the writer. The hero of the next story demonstrates the brutalness in relation with all people after a separation with a friend that tested jealousy, when ру showed liking to other man. He shows up non-acceptance of physical nature of people (cough, sneeze, noise from their motions). As a result author of the paper comes to the conclusion that the analysis of corporeality at mental level helps to understand authorial conception of life and state of modern man.
